I recently watched the movie Salaam Namaste. In the Movie, Saif fears Hospitals. And that reminded me of How i used to dread Hospitals, Blood, etc… when i was young and even now, at times. So, here’s the meaning of the Post Title… Hemophobia is Fear of Blood and Nosocomephobia is Fear of Hospitals. I feel nauseated whenever i go to Hospitals. My heart starts beating a lot faster. The smell of the Hospital itself is enough to create that feeling of sickness. Thankfully, i haven’t gone to hospitals in the recent past, so i don’t know if i still have Nosocomephobia. And about Hemophobia… Even the sight of Blood creates panic inside me. I hate to admit this… I have never ever donated blood. There had been a number of blood donation campaigns organized at School, College, Office and every other place i go. But, I never go to donate blood. When i was in College, a blood donation camp was organized. And we were allowed to leave the class for the rest of the day, if we are going to donate blood.  So, just for the sake of getting out of class, i joined the rest of the guys who were really going to donate blood. But, instead me and my friend roamed around the college, canteen and passed the time. I was in a dilemma. I wanted to donate blood, but i didnt want to donate blood!!! Finally after thinking a lot about it, and for the Greater Good… we decided to go ahead and give the blood. But… When we went there, the doc said sorry guys time up! We’ve closed. wow What a relief! Incidentally, Red and Orange are my most favorite colors!

More than Active Smoking, its Passive Smoking that causes more damage! So, I wholeheartedly welcome this ban. Most of the things our Health Minister, Anbumani Ramadoss plans to implement looks so correct to me frm my point of view. Like the 1yr extension of MBBS course etc.(Will write a diff post on that) He should try and ban selling of cigarettes!

After I started working, i see that most of the people here smoke. And the reason they give.. Work Pressure, Tension, Relaxing! I welcome the ban bcoz i feel that the ban will be only Good for them as well as the others who are near them too

Here are some details of the ban:

• Penalty charges for smoking at in public places – Rs 200
• Higher penalties for hotels and industries
• Smoking prohibited in all indoor establishments
• Companies can no longer have designated smoking rooms

Public Places Defined:

So where should people smoke? In their own houses I guess or on the streets or in some designated closed space in a hotel. I don’t feel sorry for them. I don’t see why I should inhale passive smoke when it’s known to be bad for health. I have my rights.

Some people equate the ban to fascism and fanaticism:
What I don’t understand is why people are reacting with so much anger to this ban. For example, an article in the DNA has called this ban the work of fanatics! The ban on smoking in public spaces has been compared to bans against Valentine’s Day celebrations, Boys and Girls sitting together in public parks! What an odd comparison. I am totally against banning the above but I am all for banning smoking in public places as it physically harms others. I am against moral policing but I am all for the rules that will protect my health.

Another article (also in the DNA) by Pravin Nair says:

I just don’t believe it will work. Bans have never worked. Not on smoking…You only drive the problem underground and make it that much more difficult to deal with…

I am not worried smoking goes underground. If smoking goes underground, it is not my business. I just don’t want to get affected by it.

Is there any chance of this ban being overturned?
Anything is possible. The ban almost didn’t go through as tobacco giant ITC as well as the Federation of Hotel & Restaurant Associations of India (FHRAI, the apex body of all hotel associations) have filed cases against it. Well, at least for now the Supreme Court is not listening. It shouldn’t. Commercial interest should never come before an individual’s interest.

I hope that the various tobacco and hotel lobbies do not pressurize the government to take back the ban.  Everyone of us has the right to breathe in a smoke-free environment and not get affected by the bad habits of others. And smokers and smoker’s lobbies and those whose business will be affected by the ban on smoking have no right to force us to inhale their poison! This isn’t about moral policing. It’s about the rights of non-smokers.

Well, I am not sure whether it will work, but I sure want to be on the right side of the law when I request someone to refrain from smoking.

Why are these Autokarans/Autowallahs always disgruntled over something or the other?!! Right now, am not going to talk about the tampered meters, atrocious fares, bad language, worst sense of driving, or their lame reasons for the same from their point of view! Its all about what happens at the end of a ride in an auto!

The thing is, even if we agree to pay whatever these autowallahs ask for and take a ride in their auto, these guys find some reason or the other to grumble about! I dont know if any of you have noticed that, but many autorickshaw drivers start grumbling or murmuring if we ask them to take a few turns at the end of the ride when we are very near to our destination! If they start murmuring, then its a sign that they’ll haggle over the fare and demand more than what was fixed before! Man, Only Government Buses drop you in the main road and go. Autos/Taxis and everything else have to come in drop you near your place. If someone has agreed to pay you whatever you ask and then you go on and demand more, just beacuse you had to make a few left and right turns, thats really awful. Not that all drivers are like that, but most of them are! There are some good drivers as well, who stay cheerful and smiling. We can even give people like them, some extra money voluntarily, for being cheerful and spreading the happiness! I personally hate hiring Autos to go somewhere. Reason: All these reasons combined. It has been years since i stopped going by Autos. These days, not only Auto Drivers, everyone has become self-centered, money-minded and rude!

The reason am writing this post is the incident that happened yesterday… I go to Office by the Office Cab… My place is at the end of an alley and the cab has to come in and drop me and take a reverse to go back… The Cab driver would not be the same all days… But, for the past few days the same cab driver started coming… I used to be polite to him as always! Yesterday, that Cab Driver when he came to pick me up for Office started slowly talking about not coming into the alley bcoz as per their rules they dont go back in the same road that they entered! Come on man stop kidding! Konjam Nallavana iruntha, udane emaatha try pannuranga! If we are a little nice or polite to these guys, they start taking advantage of us. Being nice to them makes them think that we are meek! I told him sternly, I dont know about what rules you are talking about, i am working here for the past four months and all the drivers who have been here havent said anything about this! After that he became silent!

Its really very irritating when they do something like that (Taking advantage of someone, if they are nice! polite! Not only these Cab/Auto wallahs, people in general). Another time that cab driver talks to me about not coming into the alley, i’ve decided to escalate the issue to the concerned department and make sure he’s removed from the rolls or atleast that he doesnt talk to me about not coming in! Ethana naalaiku thaan nallavana irukurathu!!!